Gazing at Gazanias

Until this spring, I’d never seen this gorgeus orange and yellow striped daisy-like flower, but it has quickly become a favorite of mine. It’s formal name is Gazania, but it is also known as a treasure flower. And what a treasure! It tolerates poor soils, high heat, drought, the floliage stays green year round, and it only needs to be watered twice a month. Even I could care for a plant such as that, but for now I will stick to gazing at my neighbors’s gazanias.

A Once or Future Civilization

On a recent walk in the desert, I found a two lane road, which seemed out of place compared to the cart tracks I usually see. The road dead ends in the desert, but at one time someone must have had plans for it. I’ve found several signs of civilization — a water main (perhaps), a sign post, realtors sign, a ruin of a house, a log that was obviously cut by a sophisticated implement, a footprint (okay, the footprint is mine, but who’s to say when exactly I placed my foot on the road — perhaps it’s a relic of the future. Or perhaps not.) Come follow the yellow sand road with me.

A Peek at Peaks

There is no lack of peaks around here — roof peaks, mountain peaks, hill peaks — so today I hunted for perfect shots of peaks echoed against peaks. I hope you enjoy this peek at the treasures I found.

Treasure Hunt — Distant Scenes

The last time I posted photos of the treasures I found on my walks, I focused on color — specifically close-ups of flowers. Today’s treasures are distant scenes. (What is the opposite of close-up — far-downs?) Thank you for accompanying me on my virtual walk.

Treasure Hunt — 7/15/10

So many treasures! And the biggest treasure is color. Just so you don’t think my whole world is painted in desert colors, I took these photos of garden flowers I passed on my walk today.

Treasure Hunt — 7/12/10

My work in progress has a scene where the hero is escaping across a desert with a group of acquaintances, so as I take my daily walk I try to see what he would see, such as a ghost moon and a ghost sun. Unless he has sharp eyes, he might miss much of the color — the flowers are so tiny it’s hard to see them at a casual glance. There are few creatures, but he would see jackrabbits and ants, scorpions and snakes (though I have yet to see either — whew!), and lots of lizards. The lizards move so fast that only when one stops to pose can I capture an image of it. Lucky for me, one did stop to pose.